BOYS BASKETBALL: Greencastle-Antrim unable to close out Chambersburg

Monday

Feb 4, 2013 at 11:15 AM

By Ben Destefan

CHAMBERSBURG — Leading by seven with a little more than six minutes remaining, the Greencastle-Antrim boys' basketball team appeared poised to pull off the upset against Chambersburg in Saturday night's finale of the Dunks for Drew showcase.

Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, the game ended much like it started — all Trojans.

After establishing a double-digit advantage in the first eight minutes of play, Chambersburg closed out the fourth on a 21-7 run, thus overcoming a sluggish middle two quarters en route to a 68-61 victory.

Despite the disappointment of the loss, G-A (16-4) was certainly content with its performance, battling back to have the game within reach down the stretch.

"Our guys never gave up," G-A head coach Gary Martin said. "We got down early and we just kept battling. If you take away the last few minutes, we might be walking out of here with a win against a very good Chambersburg team."

The Blue Devils' slow start produced an 11-point deficit in the opening quarter, adding to the already difficult task of playing on the Trojans' home floor.

Needing a spark, Zach Faulkner willed his team back into it, netting eight straight team points to draw G-A within one midway through the second before later going into the locker room down by four at 33-29.

The momentum officially shifted in the third, paced by the effort of G-A's Joel Zola. His acrobatic abilities in the lane paired with his consistency from beyond the arc granted the Blue Devils their first lead since the game's opening bucket, with Zola's fourth 3 of the night putting G-A ahead 38-35.

The advantage remained intact through the remainder of the frame, with Zola scoring 11 of his game-high 26 points during the eight-minute span, sending the Blue Devils into the fourth leading by five at 49-44.

After exchanging buckets, a three-point play by Faulkner extended the margin to seven at 54-47 with 6:30 remaining, setting the stage for Chambersburg's rally.

A 3 from Kellen Williams jump-started the charge before a Stanley Flores make from downtown paired with consecutive lay-ins by Evason Obgonna drew the Trojans even at 60 with 3:05 left to play.

Austin Scott made one of two attempts from the free throw line to temporarily put the Blue Devils back in front, prior to Flores knocking down a pair from the charity stripe moments later, granting Chambersburg (14-7) a lead it would not relinquish.

Down by one, Zola had a pair of uncontested looks at a go-ahead 3 on back-to-back possessions, only to have both shots rim out, resulting in a frantic closing minute of regulation.

With the score still at 62-61, a block by Obgonna produced a fast-break opportunity for the Trojans, with Obgonna then running the floor to deliver the decisive blow, throwing down a two-handed slam while also drawing the foul, essentially sealing the victory after making it a two-possession game with 34 seconds remaining.

"Of course it would have been nice to get the win, but I'm not upset with our guys," Martin said following the defeat. "Chambersburg has a little bit of everything and we took them down to the wire. I'm proud of the way we played."

Williams led the Trojans with 19 points followed by 16 from Obgonna and 12 from Mitch Stahl.

Faulkner joined Zola in double figures with 19 points to go along with eight from Brandon Puffenbarger.

The Blue Devils will close out the regular season on Wednesday at Carlisle before preparing for the District 3-AAA playoffs.

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